Skit: Apologetics: A Disciple Discussion

Message: Matthew 28:19-20, the great commission was given to encourage us to share his word.
1 Corinthians 12:12-30, We also have many different gifts but God uses us all to share his message. Only you talk to all the people you talk to.

Setting: No specific setting, this could be used with youth or in worship or Bible study to introduce a discussion on outreach.

Characters: Thomas is the cautious one, Matthew takes the lead, Peter is on fire/strong, Andrew is sarcastic and questioning, John is the lover.

Matthew: As I was saying (giving the eye to Andrew), we lost one of our members…

Andrew: (interrupts) Lost a member? Judas killed himself because of shame.

John: (sadly) Jesus told us all along how much He loves us and forgives us. Why would Judas not realize he could be forgiven for anything, even betrayal? GOD loved Him.

Thomas: He killed himself and didn’t even catch on to what God was doing. Judas walked with us, and learned from the Master, but didn’t get it.

Matthew: We all feel bad about Judas, but that’s why it is so important to move forward. We never expected to be here. We never realized Jesus was going to die. We never knew one of us would betray Him with a kiss, and we never thought we would be the ones with the responsibility to go out and share Jesus’ message and our lives with Him.

Peter: Right. Now is the time to be strong, take action. I let down my Lord before. But now I am ready to begin working.

Andrew: Really? You really had no Idea? When Jesus said come follow me, you thought He would never leave us? We would just tour the world, travel from town to town, watching the great Jesus heal and care for His people like a famous entertainer? Jesus was a teacher.

Peter: Every good rabbi leaves his men to carry out his legacy. Everything Jesus did, He did to prepare us. Even allowing us to fail can make us stronger.

Matthew: Well, Jesus wasn’t just some Rabbi. This is the greatest Rabbi to ever live. We were in the very presence of God’s Son. He left us with a new message, the new laws that change everything.

John: It is a message of Love that conquers the law. A love that is greater than anything. God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him would have eternal life. It’s the greatest message of all time!

Andrew: Look, my point is, we are going to have look past all the surreal details. And, yes, I agree with John, we need to focus on loving the world and sharing the good news.

Matthew: Thank you, Andrew. If I could get a word in edgewise…I think we need to review the facts so we can move forward.

Peter: Our mission is clear, but I think Matthew makes a good point. We have to debrief so we can come up with a plan.

Andrew: A plan?

Peter: Sure. How we are going to share the most important message ever?

John: Sharing is simple. We will just love them and start telling them.

Andrew: You know what, John, not everyone is a hugger. And you can’t just go around treating everyone the same way.

John: Why not? (John tries to hug Andrew who pushes him away.)

Thomas: The message is powerful, but look what we have had to deal with the last several weeks.

John: What do you mean deal with?

Andrew: We have been accused of being drunk because the presence of the Holy Spirit was in us, we had one of our own men betray the best man in the world, and we watched people want to kill the Savior of the world.

Peter: Exactly. The devil is living and real. Sharing God’s word is awesome and powerful, but we have an attacker. He prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. And that someone is me and you. We have to be ready.

Matthew: Which is why we called this meeting. We want to follow what Jesus said to do, but need a plan to do it.

John: I always felt like Jesus just started healing, teaching, praying, and loving. He kept finding more ways to care about people.

Andrew: You really didn’t think He had a plan?

Matthew: Andrew, please chill on the sarcasm. Look, Jesus always had a plan. He had three years to prepare us. He carefully taught us His Word. He gave us His Holy Meal for the forgiveness of sins.

Thomas: Three years seems so short, now that I look back on it.

Matthew: I know, how in the world are we going to get this message out?

Peter: We need to look at what we each bring to the table. Andrew brings a full quota of sarcasm, check.

Andrew: All right! Now look who’s throwing the insults.

Peter: In fairness, we need Andrew’s light-hearted, unique way to see things. This job is never going to be easy.

Matthew: Plus we have a lot of places to go.

Peter: Remember what Jesus said, if people don’t listen, shake the dust off your feet and move on.

John: But remember the parable of the seed: it might be what people need is to hear the message to start the thought process.

Peter: The Jews are one of our most difficult targets. They struggled with wanting a king, but Jesus appeared as a simple man from simple means. They had their own picture of who God would send and what that would mean to the Jewish people.

Matthew: It is time we all figure out how we can best share the message of the Gospel. John’s love is a necessary element. Peter’s straight-forward nature is also helpful. God will use each one of us and our personality to share His Word with others.

Peter: We need a system to know which one of us can get through to the person we are trying to talk to.

Matthew: I am not so sure that will ever work, since we aren’t going to bombard someone with all 12 of us. I think we need to practice sharing the message with each other. That way we can use our unique way to share it with all people.

Peter: It is evident we are all very different and yet God called each one of us. He had a plan for each of us to share His Message of salvation. We have the power of the Holy Spirit; God’s always with us in our baptism, in His Word, and in His meal. His power will be there to guide and direct even the toughest of conversations.

Matthew: Agreed, gentlemen. It is clear God wanted all of us to do this. He taught us through His Word, and gave us each unique gifts to use. But the devil is dangerous and will convince us in all kinds of ways to stop teaching the Good News. His Word will give us strength as we work together to stay focused, and share the greatest message ever. And we trust the Holy Spirit to guide us and to work in the lives of those we talk to. Do you remember the first day Jesus asked you to follow Him? Think back to that moment and how it changed your life. God is using us to share the life-changing message of salvation.

John: And no matter how many plans we make, ultimately, it’s God who has a plan, for the salvation of the world, and He’s allowing us to be part of it!